Providing Transgender Inclusive Health Care Services

In rural upstate New York, some emerging community needs are sexuality education, medical services, and advocacy for transgender people. Providing Transgender-Inclusive Health CareServices comes from our own process of learning and wanting to serve an emerging underserved population with care and respect.

In addition to the barriers that many people face when seeking health care, transgender clients have some unique barriers that arise. From filling out forms, to the language used in a medical office, to insurance coverage, transgender clients may find any number of obstacles that make obtaining health care more difficult, or even impossible. This manual gives health care providers, educators, and advocates several resources and tips for improving the experience of transgender clients in their health centers.

Successfully promoting public health at community and national levels is deeply linked to and dependent on providing inclusive services at the individual level. Making your agency a supportive and inclusive environment is invaluable for each of your clients, including your transgender clients. Your health center may be one of the few public spaces transgender individuals visit where their gender identity is acknowledged, respected, and even understood.

As health care providers, educators, and advocates, we want to serve all people in our communities with care and respect. We can do this by allowing people to be who they are, and providing them with a supportive, inclusive, and non-judgemental array of services. We offer this manual to any agency, group, or individuals who would like to join in our efforts to provide better services to transgender people.

VisitOUTFORHEALTH.ORG to learn about our LGBT health and wellness program. Out for Health provides "We Welcome You" kits to help health care providers make their practices more welcoming to the LGBT community, as well as LGBT youth groups, family building resources, helpful links, and much more.